Brits get ready for £12bn Christmas shopping spree

A survey of more than 2,000 British adults commissioned events marketing company Evvnt has shed light on how much money UK shoppers are likely to spend on the festive season.

Just over half of those questioned (53.2%) said they are ‘excited’ or ‘very excited’ about Christmas. Women (58.4%) are far more excited than men (47.7%). Meanwhile, on average, UK adults are looking to spend £412 on Christmas related activities this year – amounting to a total combined spend of £20.5 billion across the country.

The results show that Scots appear to be most excited about Christmas (58.8%), closely followed by Londoners, while shoppers in Northern Ireland were not in quite the same mood, with 40.7% already getting into the Christmas spirit.

Christmas spending predictions per adult and by region are as follows:

London (£512)
Northern Ireland (£486)
Wales (£446)
North West (£440)
West Midlands (£432)
North East (£426)
East of England (£417)
Yorkshire (£382)
Scotland (£375)
South West (£372)
South East (£356)
East Midlands (£335)

Richard Green, CEO and Founder of Evvnt, commented: “It’s still many weeks away but Christmas is starting to consume people’s attention. Today’s research shows just how many people are already excited for the Christmas period, with Scots and, perhaps more surprisingly, Londoners topping the list of places where the festive spirit is really taking hold.

“More impressive is the sheer amount of money that will be spent by the UK public over the Christmas season. From presents and parties to pantomimes and puddings, the country is estimated to spend a whopping £21 billion over the festive season this year – the trick for those organising Christmas events and activities is to ensure their marketing efforts lure in merry crowds to make the most of this busy time of year.”